Who is my #2 fan?

If you want to join the Casey Lartigue Fan Club, there is already a president and number one fan in it!

You can’t be my number one fan because Eben Appleton has already claimed that title.

How much would it cost to get you to pose in front of a poster with my face on it?

Okay, so maybe some people would do so for free, if my poster somehow ended up in a mall or book store.

How many of you would want that poster in your home? Yes, my poster is in Eben Appleton’s home in Tennessee.

I can imagine guests coming over, asking, “Wait, who?”

Well, if they know Eben, that means they already know who I am!

Sometimes she praises me so much, I will ask her if I know the Casey Lartigue she is talking about.

I’m not a singer or a celebrity. So I can’t imagine that anyone would want my poster.

Where did the poster come from? Last year when I was a keynote speaker at the World Youth Rally, they made that poster. I couldn’t believe it! They wanted to feature me as a speaker, and they certainly did that!

Then after I finished speaking, I asked them what they were going to do with the posters. From previous experience, those things get trashed when an event is over.

After all, who would want such a poster?

I asked if I could have them.

One poster would be for the TNKR office. I wasn't sure where we would put it, but certainly there must be a place for a 6 foot poster featuring the American co-founder. TNKR co-founder Eunkoo Lee was enthusiastic about it. Perhaps it was because it was the first time I had recommended any kind of a decoration in the office.

The other poster would be for the only person in the world who would want it: Eben Appleton! Of course some drive-by commentators with instant Facebook responses to everything who come to conclusions with little or no information might conclude that I was presumptuous in thinking that anyone would want my poster.

That means you don't know Eben Appleton!

She came to Seoul in 2017 not to visit Seoul, but to visit TNKR and meet the American co-founder in person.

As I wrote a few months ago,

Have you ever had a fan?

I mean, the kind of fan who is surprised to learn you walk on water--because she thought you could fly.

The kind of fan who reads everything you write, then summarizes it for others who were not lucky enough to have read what you wrote. Then she constantly reminds you about what you wrote.

The kind of fan who even makes a calendar just for you.

Yes, I have that kind of fan, and her name is Eben Appleton!!!!

For the people who get stomachaches when they see other people celebrating life and having fun, I should add:

* Eben is love. She goes up and down Facebook making nice comments about many people, praising them as being handsome or beautiful, smart, etc. She talks to my family members more often than I do. There might others who think Eben is their #1 fan.

* It isn't just me, okay? She loves TNKR. Such as making this 2020 calendar for us.

Through all of that niceness about others, somehow I always end up being the one she loves the most, I may just be a close or far second to her hubby, Charlie.

I have had fans before. My first ones were back in high school when I wrote "Casey's Corner" for my high school newspaper. I remember in college when I met a student who had my columns on his wall. I have had some other fans over the years.

But they can't compare with Eben Appleton!

Eben wants my autograph on everything. Photos. Articles. Books. Whatever. She replies to everything I post, watches every video, reminds me of the many witty and profound things she thinks I have said or written, shares almost everything I post on Facebook, sends me messages often and waits for me to respond. Sometimes I must tell her: Don't donate more, your monthly donation is already super generous and enough.

So with that six foot poster, should I have even wondered, "Yes, but will she really want this?"

I sent it without letting her know what it was, and she was overjoyed to receive it. She immediately found a place for it in her home (unlike most people who would have tried to figure out how to put in the proper recycling bin).

So if you happen to be one of my fans, let me know. But please recognize that if you want to join the Casey Lartigue Fan Club, there is already a president and number one fan in it!

***

P.S.: Many volunteers give a host of explanations and excuses about why they can't set up a fundraiser for TNKR. Eben has set up four.

TNKR Forever (Eben)

Happy 79th Birthday, Eben Appleton

$50 for 50 years (Eben)

Eben Appleton Birthday Fundraiser

Get rid of that watermelon!

Part 1: When I was a youngster I used to collect Confederate money, posters and photographs with caricatures of blacks, and "No blacks allowed signs." I loved the money because it was a reminder of how far the sorry Confederacy had fallen. I had one poster of a dark-skinned black boy munching on a watermelon. I would look at that small poster and wonder, "What in the world is wrong with anyone wanting to eat watermelon?" Yes, white people, I'm talking to you. Your parents, grandparents, and other ancestors who thought making fun of blacks for eating watermelon were crazy ! Even people who say that nothing has changed in race relations must acknowledge that the many stereotypes of blacks are no longer prevalent. But then, there are also some ready to remind us of days-gone-by by debunking stuff that doesn't need to be debunked today. According to the Washington Post: The sound you just heard was yet another racial stereotype going kersplat ! Some ...

Common Sense on North Korea (Korea Times, April 2, 2012)

By Casey Lartigue, Jr. As interesting as Kookmin University professor Andrei Lankov’s writings are, there is nothing quite like attending one of his lectures. He can barely restrain himself behind the podium, often pointing and waving his arms. I also enjoy his unscripted speeches, but his answers in Q&A sessions are like the difference between watching Michael Jordan shoot baskets in warm-ups and an actual game. I have finally discovered the secret behind Lankov’s consistently solid analysis about North Korea: Use common sense. At an Asan Institute conference last summer, he argued that North Korea watchers should try to understand North Korea from its perspective. Don’t most people know that you must understand the mindset of others you are dealing with? Yet, common sense in theory gets ignored politically. From the North Korean perspective, nuclear weapons are the best thing they’ve got going. They will NOT give them up easily, even if President Obama ...

Rich talking back

The rich are talked about very often in negative terms, but how often do the rich respond in kind? Australian billionaire Gina Rinehart, who inherited most of her money but apparently has also done very well with it, recently railed against class warfare and had some advice for the non-rich : "There is no monopoly on becoming a millionaire," she writes. "If you're jealous of those with more money, don't just sit there and complain. Do something to make more money yourself - spend less time drinking, or smoking and socializing and more time working." She complained about politicians raising taxes, regulations that slow investment, and other anti-business policies that harm the poor. "If you want to help the poor and our next generation, make investment, reinvenstment and businesses welcome."

To be a good volunteer, use your brain (Korea Times, December 5, 2012)

By Casey Lartigue, Jr. There is probably an unwritten rule that a celebrity offering to do volunteer work for a good cause should immediately be embraced. Well, that’s not what happened to Jeong So-dam, the glamorous Korean cable TV announcer when our paths crossed on Nov. 29. Ms. Jeong was the MC of an event about American political philosophy hosted by the Association for Economic Evolution. During my speech about American libertarianism since 1940, I discussed my volunteer work for North Korean refugees. After the speech, Jeong approached me, asking how she could help. I gave her the same tough love I give to potential volunteers by asking: “Who are you?” After all, if you are Bill Gates, then open your wallet. If you speak four languages, then help with translation work. So I first stress to potential volunteers: Use your brain. Tell us about your skills and interests so together we can figure out your initial role. Jeong was good-natured about it, rather than c...

Why I won't go to North Korea (Korea Times, December 27, 2012)

By Casey Lartigue, Jr. “Have you ever been to North Korea?” This is the question I am almost always asked here in South Korea when people learn that I have become an activist for North Korean escapees. My response is curt: “No.” “Do you plan on going?” they ask next. My answer remains the same: “No.” When they start to ask a follow-up question, I cut them off: "No." People are often just trying to make conversation, I know, but I am blunt for a reason: I am not interested in going to North Korea as long as North Koreans are held captive. I could go one day, but for now, I can do without a government-guided tour by " men-stealers and women-whippers ," to borrow a phrase from American abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. I don’t mean to criticize people who have gone to North Korea for political, educational, business, religious reasons or just plain curiosity. However, some people push me on the issue, ― and I push back. A good friend wh...

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